On January 19, 2012 the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) released the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) Capabilities document, “The Healthcare Preparedness Capabilities: National Guidance for Healthcare System Preparedness”.

In previous years, the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) and HPP Capabilities have been separate; however, in 2012 these capabilities will be aligned. The U.S. HHS is scheduled to release the HPP-PHEP Capabilities Planning Guide (CPG) which will further outline the new alignment and relationship between the two sets of Capabilities and will describe the intent, completion and reporting requirements.  In an effort to plan for the new capabilities, the California Department of Public Health is undertaking a statewide planning process to determine implementation strategies for 2012.